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I'm drawing from a photo, and there isn't much shadow in it so I'm trying to add my own, but I don't think it's turning out right. Here it is:

A full out critique would be nice. I'm not trying to copy the photo exactly so I don't think that would help.

The girl right here:
http://www.plusmodelmag.com/General/plus-model-magazine-article-detail.asp?article-id=209898350&page=4

I'm worried that shading the drawing that much is going to make it look cluttered and gritty. Do you have more specific suggestions?


The width of the body in my drawing is much closer to the photo than the example you suggest, as is the ratio of head to body.

I wasn't trying to defend my work. If anything, I was complaining about the quality of the critique. Regardless, I understand how that could be construed as hostile. My intent was to bring attention to that piece of advice not making sense to me.

I think lune was just trying to point out more the structural values in your drawing more than the forms itself. I think she did only a quick sketch to help point out a few things, with out taking everything in the drawing to seriously, it was just a reference sketch 3nodding
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In your drawing I would be a little carefull about certain forms like the right hand, thats hidden behind the back... In your image it looks a little to narrow for the bones and muscular structure the women in your reference image has... I can see were you were heading with it, in representing the same incline she has, but because her hand is coming towards us in the picture, which creates a distortion in the perspective that gives you the result you have in the picture. But in your drawing you chose to hid it behind the back... which is ok, but now the perspective dosen't work the same, cause the placement of the hand would not rest the same way if her hand was placed behind her back, and there for the distortion of the arm would not look like that... Its an easy mistake to make, 3nodding I've done it a few times myself, when changing posing. Its just something to look out for on your next drawing 3nodding

I like the way you've tried to incorporate a little more shadow into your drawing this time...it helps define more the volumes 3nodding but don't be scared to push it even further. A lot of your shading only goes out to the minimum of what it could, because your still trying to avoid making your drawing feel griddy... But I think this is un avoidable with a pencil medium. Because in essence a pencil gives off a griddy feeling to it... Even when I do my shading I get this griddy feeling, and I make sure to work on quality pieces of paper as well as top notch drawing pencils and I still get that feeling.

Examples of my sketchs... and ummm warning... there nude, cause they were life drawing observations ._.

http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y164/Kai_Chi/?action=view¤t=guy_life_drawing.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y164/Kai_Chi/woman_life_drawing_01.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y164/Kai_Chi/woman_life_drawing_02.jpg

Now part of this griddy feeling your talking about is because of the paper, and the other half is just because it was done in pencil... and another portion is because I took pictures of these pics, (cause there half the size of me and way to big for my scaner XD)

If you'd like to draw but do not like the griddy feeling you get with a pencil, why not try a different medium? like ink or paints? : ) these can offer you a lot of selection as well as give you a nice clean and crips feeling your looking for... Or if you can, computer generated pictures would work well as well, since you don't have any texture surface to leave gaps in your shading 3nodding

First I think I will list different things you can do when doing a life like drawing.

when drawing from a photo or from a model shading is the first thing you should do. In real life their are no lines so when you sketch from a photo of s real person draw all the shadows first. It's a lot easier because you don't have to imagine they are there like you do with a contour line.

the second thing to do is to draw out your negative space. always use a light line and it's ok to be sketchy at first.

when you do your gradient shades DO NOT SMUG! A lot of new artists do the whole using the smug stick to make the different shades. don't do it. you have to learn to control the pencil before you start altering the marks on the page with other tools.

Now as for this drawing.it's a good start. if you fixed it up a bit it could be really nice. 3nodding